


Selected Exhibits From the Gallery of Retrieved Sound

by doorjamb



Category: Kentucky Route Zero (Video Game)
Genre: Characters Mostly In Cameo, Extra Treat, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26672908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doorjamb/pseuds/doorjamb
Summary: This audio guide is supported by the Consolidated Power Company.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7
Collections: Trick or Treat Exchange 2020





	Selected Exhibits From the Gallery of Retrieved Sound

**Author's Note:**

  * For [azurefishnets](https://archiveofourown.org/users/azurefishnets/gifts).



Hello, I'm Hannah Gordon, an Assistant Curator at the Museum, and it's my pleasure to welcome you to _Selected Exhibits From the Gallery of Retrieved Sound_. Our journey together will take no more than thirty minutes.

* * *

You should now be standing underneath a sign that reads "Audio Tour Begins Here". Our first stop is through the doorway directly to your left.

The invention of the theremin was a revelation, its influence ranging from Beach Boys hits to the fantasias of Bohuslav Martinů. Billed as "the universal instrument", the theremin is, uniquely, operated without physical contact. Part-musician, part-conductor, a theremin player simply gestures to produce sound. The instrument then translates the position of the hand, the movements of the fingers, the distance between body and machine, into frequencies that can be heard by human ears—in engineering terms, a signal transform.

This case features three theremin models, from separate—or unknown—manufacturers. Note that while each theremin has the standard pair of antennae, the form, style, and even available functionality vary widely.

> _RCA Theremin and Radiola 106 Speaker_ _(restored), 1929  
>  _Technical Description: Mahogany casing; Plastic controls; One vertical antenna for pitch control, one horizontal for volume control. Antique.

> _(unknown), 1960s  
>  _Technical Description: Molded ABS plastic case; Red; Name scratched into underside (indecipherable). Waterlogged.

> _R.A. Moog Theremin Model 305, 1954  
>  _Technical Description: Hickory, walnut; Metal stand and components; Knob for volume field adjustment. No audio out, no speaker.

As you continue around the room, notice, but please don't touch, the concert poster on the adjoining wall. This poster, advertising a theremin performance in Tennessee, is a bit of an oddity. Most regional musicians performed on something of an ad-hoc basis, news traveling by word of mouth or informal social network more often than by any concentrated publicity campaign. Performers themselves might not know the precise date of a show until a few days beforehand.

Our record of these performances, then, comes from the outward ripples of each event. This display archives ephemera from which one can piece together—an offhand mention here, a footnote there—the landscape of live musical performances in the Green River region during this era.

> _A LETTER: (Worn at the edges, water-stained.) — send the full amount next month. Things are looking up! They've been talking about opening more positions in the Office of the Administration and I've really got a chance. Me, a secretary! What do you think of that? Junebug was playing at the Muddy Dog tonight, and it surely seemed a sign —_

> _(A postcard simply reading "the laplace experiment live at the lower depths yesterday night. thought of you". The address is smudged beyond recognition.)_

> _A SCRAP: (Paper, indeterminate origin.)_ I. O. U. 3 cases, for performance 7/23

> _(A handwritten calendar for the month of August. "Happy Hour" is dutifully marked out every Tuesday. Various names are scribbled onto other dates. "B. Marshall" on the second Friday of the month. "Junebug" on the third Wednesday. "Dear Martine" on the fourth.)_

> _(A napkin, wrinkled, with the words "Lena, out of this world today!" scrawled in messy letters across the back.)_

Our next stop is to the right. As you continue, take a moment to examine the arched tunnel you are passing through. It was originally built for the Majestic Bay Playhouse, then transferred to the Museum when the theater was slated for demolition. Note that it is unusually wide; this was formerly the passageway to stage left of the playhouse, and possesses a unique auditory property. Actors would wait here for their cue to enter, so the ribbing along the walls was designed to amplify sound in one direction while muffling it in the other. In this way, voices on stage could be heard clearly from the wings while any accidental sound from off-stage crew would not disrupt the performance.

Of course, this is more easily demonstrated than explained. Find a friend—or a stranger. Have them stand on one end of the tunnel while you walk to the other. Take a deep breath and let it out, then think of a secret, or a confession. What have you been worried about? What are you afraid to tell them? Say it now.

Did they hear you?

I'll give you a moment.

As you exit the tunnel, turn left onto the next corridor. This hallway has several audio displays, each denoted by a spotlight. When you walk into a circle of light, directional speakers above will activate, beginning the exhibit. You will need to remove the Audio Tour headset. Listen until you are ready to continue, and I will rejoin you at our final stop.

* * *

Exhibit Four

> _(The low hum of tree crickets, a swelling, almost tidal chorus. Leaves crunching.)_
> 
> _A FRAGMENT OF MUSIC: (Distant.) —_ harvest falling — come and work — 
> 
> _(A whip-poor-will chants, emphatic.)_
> 
> _A FRAGMENT: (Staticky.)_ — walk — to go — by yourself — 
> 
> _(The buzz of a motorcycle in the distance, rising then fading away.)_

Breathe in deeply. Move on?

* * *

Exhibit Three

> _PARTICIPANT:_ ... no, it was something like, _da da da daaaa da_ _da daaa da daa_. Kind of like ... a fog bank rolling down the side of a hill, you know, kind of dense ... it was about leaving home, maybe? Or about getting lost.

> _PARTICIPANT:_ It started _doo do do dunn_ and then some _wooosh_ , or maybe a _waaaah_... no drums or beat ... and you could hear the crackling of the recording. I like that though. You want to have a bit of gristle in the sound, something to chew on.

> _PARTICIPANT:_ It's been so long, I really couldn't say.

> _PARTICIPANT:_ ... _ba daDAda_ _ba da ba da_ up and down like that, with clicking in the background. A xylophone? Yeah, clanking ... wish I could remember the words though.

Close your eyes for a moment. Open them slowly. Continue?

* * *

Exhibit Two

> _(Organ music, slow, soaring. The squeak of wheels on linoleum and the low murmur of voices. Buzzing fluorescent lights. The music slows, meanders through a phrase before surging back, insistent. Plastic wrapping crinkles. A sharp steady beeping. The music dips into one last long note, then stops.)_

Inhale. Exhale. Proceed?

* * *

Exhibit One

> _(Katydids rustling. A low electrical buzz. A crackle, like a twig snapping.)_
> 
> _VOICEOVER: (Modulated, even, synthetic.)_ Four thousand volts. Mosquito.
> 
> _(A series of clicks, rapid-fire.)_
> 
> _VOICEOVER:_ Wasp.
> 
> _(A snap, like a finger flicked against a taut sheet of aluminum foil.)_
> 
> _VOICEOVER:_ Fly.
> 
> _(A short, sharp click.)_
> 
> _VOICEOVER:_ Gnat.
> 
> _(A loud crack, followed by a steady buzzing crackle, like a cassette tape skipping.)_
> 
> _VOICEOVER:_ Moth.

The end of the hallway. Put the headset back on?

* * *

— a virtuoso performance, from an artist almost in conversation with her instrument. Each gesture, in Clara's own words, "a perfect synchronization of sound and movement". Now, for the film itself. Please watch your step as you proceed into the theater, and be ready to return your headset and Audio Tour player as you exit after the show. Thank you for joining us today. This has been a WEVP-TV production.

Exhibit **Zero**

> _(A black and white recording, from a stage. The performer is not visible; behind the camera, perhaps. The audience is motley, old and young, seated and standing, all dressed informally and talking among themselves. It is night, but the dim shape of a barn can be made out behind them. There is no sound.)_
> 
> _(The audience begins to settle and gradually turn to look at the stage—almost directly into the camera.)_

> _(A man in basketball shorts and a gray hoodie closes his eyes and bobs his head appreciatively.)_
> 
> _(A young girl shuffles impatiently, and tugs on the sleeve of the woman next to her. The woman bends her head to whisper something to the child, who grins and slips out of her seat.)_
> 
> _(A collective gasp, then a sigh.)_

> _(A woman with dark, straight hair and glasses is watching intently. She looks down at intervals to scribble into a notebook.)_
> 
> _(Some audience members shift uncomfortably in their seats.)_

> _(A large winged shadow swoops down behind the audience, silhouetted by the faint light of the barn. The audience does not turn.)_
> 
> _(A woman with short wavy hair, still wearing a utility belt—perhaps from the day's work?—folds her arms and smiles.)_
> 
> _(The audience is drawn in, gradually, eyes riveted on the stage, leaning forward in their seats. The air itself seems to still, a slight flickering of leaves in the background the only sign that tape is still rolling. There's a long beat, a pause, then suddenly—an exhale and a rolling crescendo of applause, still silent on the screen.)_

> _(THE END.)_


End file.
